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Yea, I've got a couple of options. I think this will be as ready as I've ever been for a recital (knock on wood). I have two pieces from the turn of the *last* century that I've been practicing/playing for a couple of months. One is almost at speed (the one I really had planned) and the other is pretty much at tempo, so one of them should work.

But I don't plan on recording until maybe a week before the recital, because I have a dance camp and a band gig the two weekends before, and I want all of that out of the way so I can relax.

But I'm looking forward to it.

Cathy

CathyPractice what you suck at - anonymous

#1974356 - 10/17/1212:23 AMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

Oh, yeah!! What originally started as a straightforward pop ballad has morphed into an amalgamation of styles, tempos, and techniques, a few very new to me, not to mention all the work I still have to do on the vocal while playing thru most of it. Also, last week my voice teacher asked me to start working on an arrangement for another song for a performance she’s organized at nursing home the week before Christmas. I’m wondering how I’m going to pull it all off.:)

I was wondering and watching for this thread too - glad you took the initiative MaryBee!

I was really slow off the mark getting rolling for this recital. In part because of being away from home for 5 weeks over the summer, in part because of not having my teacher, in part with the excitment of getting a new teacher..... But! Things have settled down and I am polishing up a piece I learned a while back, but want to improve upon, and a charming little new piece - both very short.

My new teacher is getting me to approach my pieces from a different perspective. I suppose had I stayed with my former teacher we would be at this point now too, but who knows. I am enjoying the change and am very fired up about my music these days!

Looking forward to hearing all the submissions!

Currently working on: Chopin Waltz in Amin (post), Chopin Nocturne in Cmin (post), McDowell To a Wild Rose

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#1974385 - 10/17/1202:28 AMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

I'm finally learning some Chopin Preludes. I'm a little shy about presenting them in a recital though - everybody knows them and plays them! It's much easier to play something more obscure for the recital.

LOL, I was just thinking about this too, and was going to start this thread...but...you've beaten me to the punch.

I actually already have a (very submittable) recording that I just did yesterday.

First time ever, but then again, I haven't done too much piano-wise this year, and this is my first recording in a year.

What was funny was that I recorded it on a whim just to see how I'd do with the red dot. Lots of screaming (kids) in the background but I was quite pleased with how it turned out..lol. I'm about to get super busy this next month so I'm seriously contemplating just submitting this take. That would be a first as well.

I for one, am very pumped about this one. I've been working like crazy on two Bach Preludes (no 2, no 4) from the collection of 6 little preludes. I liken this to two movements of one Symphony, so hope I am not stretching the rules or anything. They are both relatively short.

I took these on (No. 4 at first) to work on improving my reading. But, it is way beyond my reading level. So, have just managed to learn it and put it straight to memory. No. 2 is a little closer to my reading ability. But nope, once it is up to tempo, not working either. So, both will be completely memorized.

My greatest concern, is that these are going to be very tough to get a completely clean take of. Particularly no. 4. But, I'm looking forward to giving it my best shot and will be ready.

Much looking forward to it and in listening to all the other entries.

#1974606 - 10/17/1201:43 PMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

I'm finally learning some Chopin Preludes. I'm a little shy about presenting them in a recital though - everybody knows them and plays them! It's much easier to play something more obscure for the recital.Sam

I thought that before submitting the E minor last time but, you know, we're all pretty accepting. Bonus marks if it's not number 4, number 7, number 15 or number 20 though

I'm finally learning some Chopin Preludes. I'm a little shy about presenting them in a recital though - everybody knows them and plays them! It's much easier to play something more obscure for the recital.Sam

I thought that before submitting the E minor last time but, you know, we're all pretty accepting. Bonus marks if it's not number 4, number 7, number 15 or number 20 though

P.S. I'll submit number 20 sometime so no bonus marks for me!

It's either 9 or 15. 15 (the "Raindrop") has definitely been overdone in the recitals. But looking through the index I don't see 9 anywhere. So it just might be #9.

I know what I'm going to submit. Now, there's only the minor issue of getting it recorded. Ah, can't be too difficult, right?!

[laughs hysterically]

I'm in the same spot. I've been swamped with sandwich generation stuff (kids, father in law, etc.) the past few months, so I only have one piece that's ready to record. Y'all are going to have to hear the relentless 3-against-2 polyrhythms of Philip Glass's "Opening" whether you want to or not. But first I have to get the piano tuned and conquer the Red Dot.

jotur -- that's great that you already have your piece(s) almost ready.Starr Keys -- with both the piano and singing, you have twice the work of most of us.cas -- it's so much fun to go back to a piece that has been set aside for a while. I think it makes it easier to more deeply understand it.MaryAnn -- Is that Schumann's "Melodie"? That's a pretty piece. Hope your wrist lets you do this!sinophilia -- go for it, even if it's not perfect. The more you record yourself, the easier it will become.Carlos -- well, someone has to do Einaudi, and it doesn't look like it's going to be Monica this time.Sam -- I understand your reluctance of playing an often-performed piece. When I was planning on playing the Moonlight Sonata for one recital, I looked on your recital index to see if it was the most-performed piece. I can't remember now if it was, but it was definitely in the top 5. My teacher convinced me to do it, though, by telling me that no one else had ever played it exactly as I would.CebuKid -- I know who's going to be in at #1! (Screaming kids could make it interesting.)Greener -- I think that's a great idea to play two of the Preludes. I did a group of three Gnossiennes for one recital, and I have plans to do a group of Bach Inventions sometime (but not this time).Andy -- I'm sure you'll get something wonderful recorded.Monica -- didn't you retire recently? You should have more time to devote to this stuff. Ha ha… all my retired friends tell me differently, though.Peyton -- yes! I loved your first Message From Space. Can't wait to hear the second part.

I'm going to submit an over-played piece this time too. But the point of learning it was to work on interpretation and expression, so I'm hoping to be able to call this particular performance of it my own. Now, off to Sam's recital index to see how many times it has actually been played in our recitals...

Mary BeeCurrent mantra: Play outside the box. XVI-XXXVI

#1974864 - 10/17/1208:11 PMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

Sam S - Oh, please don't start making those of us behind you feel bad for submitting oft-played pieces! I suspect that every piece I play is on that list.

Hmmm, I've got to polish something if I'm going to submit... I've got a Clementi sonatina movement and two short Schumann things (from "Album for the Young"... Hey, maybe MaryAnn and I can make it a Schumann-fest!) to choose from, since Fur Elise won't be ready until some distant, distant recital in 2013 (if I'm lucky)...

My last "madness" was to pick up a melody of Einaudi and invent some variations. Maybe I'll do a recording and send it to this recital.

Ooh ooh ooh! I vote you do this! And I'll admit to great curiosity as to what this Einaudi melody is. "I giorni", perhaps???

Sorry Monika, but it's not "I giorni".

It's a much easier and short melody. I took the melody of "Canzone Popolare (1500 ca.)" from The Best of Ludovico Einaudi book, and I did some variations using similar chords. It's nothing serious, It's just a "game" I decided to do and it's not yet finished.It's funny to play freely

SoundCloud | YoutubeSelf-taught since Dec2009"Don't play what's there, play what's not there."

#1975029 - 10/18/1204:51 AMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

I'm planning on Beethoven Rondo Op51#2 - but it's going to have 'rough spots'.I started it 23 years ago but my teacher declared it to be "Not interesting enough" so I moved on leaving it unfinished...

...fast forward all those years and the music bubbled up in a pile I was looking for, so I figured I'd see if I could pick up where I left off.

It may not be the most dramatic or sophisticated piece Beethoven wrote, but I'm beginning to like it and it's kind of a bit of a Beethoven warm up before I try and brutally hack through the Pathetique 1st movement and do terrible damage to listeners ears and my ego.

Not sure what daughter will play - we'll see what's best suited to a performance when We get time to do some recording.

Parent....Orchestral Viola player (stictly amateur)....Hack Pianist.... (faded skills from glory days 20 yrs ago)Vague Guitar & Bass player.... (former minor income stream 15 yrs ago)Former conductor... (been a long time since I was set loose with a magic wand!)

#1975085 - 10/18/1208:02 AMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: bessel]

Sam S - Oh, please don't start making those of us behind you feel bad for submitting oft-played pieces! I suspect that every piece I play is on that list.

Hmmm, I've got to polish something if I'm going to submit... I've got a Clementi sonatina movement and two short Schumann things (from "Album for the Young"... Hey, maybe MaryAnn and I can make it a Schumann-fest!) to choose from, since Fur Elise won't be ready until some distant, distant recital in 2013 (if I'm lucky)...

How did I miss this earlier. A Schumann fest! *swoon* I can do 1 and maybe 5 (Stuckchen) in a pinch, but no. 16 (erster verlust) will never be ready. Which ones would you do?

#1975113 - 10/18/1209:50 AMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]

Thanks Monica. Sounds like fun, though I don't know if I am brave enough to submit anything this next round. My pieces are all (always) in such a middle stage. Plus my recording set-up is not great. We'll see....

#1975222 - 10/18/1201:09 PMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryAnn]

Sam S - Oh, please don't start making those of us behind you feel bad for submitting oft-played pieces! I suspect that every piece I play is on that list.

Hmmm, I've got to polish something if I'm going to submit... I've got a Clementi sonatina movement and two short Schumann things (from "Album for the Young"... Hey, maybe MaryAnn and I can make it a Schumann-fest!) to choose from, since Fur Elise won't be ready until some distant, distant recital in 2013 (if I'm lucky)...

How did I miss this earlier. A Schumann fest! *swoon* I can do 1 and maybe 5 (Stuckchen) in a pinch, but no. 16 (erster verlust) will never be ready. Which ones would you do?

MaryAnn -

I should be able to do "The Happy Farmer, Returning from Work" (#10) and "Wild Horseman" (#8)... the latter needs some polishing on the part where the left hand carries the melody, but I think I can manage it in time...

We have a miracle of no-overlap... We should go for it, and maybe we could even submit next to eachother and force everyone to listen to a long block of Schumann. Whaddya say?

Started playing: February 2011. Still having fun.

#1975439 - 10/18/1209:40 PMRe: Where is the "one month til the next recital" thread?
[Re: MaryBee]